Participation, Leadership and Urban Sustainability (PLUS) Dutch Case Study Report Frans Coenen, Bas Denters, Pieter-Jan Klok Deliverable 22 Work package 8 January 2004 Dutch casestudy report Draft version 2-2-2004 2 Content 1 Introduction .........................................................................................................................4 2 National context ..................................................................................................................5 Introduction...........................................................................................................................5 Constitutional position of local government ..........................................................................5 The structure of local government ........................................................................................5 Local government powers and functions ..............................................................................6 Local government finance.....................................................................................................6 Elections ...............................................................................................................................7 Decision making in local government ...................................................................................8 Councils and representation ...............................................................................................11 Non-electoral participation ..................................................................................................11 Economic competitiveness and social inclusion policies ....................................................12 3 The Roermond case studies ............................................................................................13 3.1 The Roermond context .................................................................................................13 3.1.1 Economic and social profile of Roermond ........................................................13 3.1.2 Government and governance ...........................................................................16 3.1.3 Political culture in Roermond .................................................................................18 3.2 Social inclusion case; the Delta plan work (DWR) initiative.....................................21 3.2.1 Case history and process description...............................................................21 3.2.2 Institutional development; rules..............................................................................33 3.2.3 Actual Behaviour of actors .....................................................................................38 3.2.4 Leadership and community involvement................................................................42 3.2.5 Outcomes: challenges, effectiveness and legitimacy.............................................44 3.3.6 Conclusions on CULCI...........................................................................................57 3.3 Economic competitiveness case...................................................................................57 3.3.1 Background and initiative context ..........................................................................57 3.3.2 Policy challenges ...................................................................................................64 3.3.3 Leadership and community involvement................................................................64 3.3.4 Actor behaviour ......................................................................................................65 3.3.5 Outcomes: challenges, effectiveness and legitimacy.............................................66 3.3.6 Conclusions on CULCI...........................................................................................71 4 The Enschede case studies .............................................................................................72 4.1 The city context.............................................................................................................72 4.1.1 General Information ...............................................................................................72 4.1.2 Government and governance in Enschede............................................................73 4.1.3 Political culture in Enschede ..................................................................................75 4.1.4 Specific features of the cases ................................................................................77 4.2 The first stage general plan for rebuilding Roombeek ..................................................79 4.2.1 Background and initiative context ..........................................................................79 4.2.2 Institutional analysis of community involvement and leadership............................79 4.2.3 Community involvement and leadership behaviour ...............................................86 4.2.4 Outcomes: challenges, effectiveness and legitimacy.............................................94 4.2.5 Conclusions on CULCI...........................................................................................98 4.2.6 Lessons from the first stage of the process ...........................................................99 4.3 Social inclusion: building for children, youth and clubs...............................................100 4.3.1 Background and initiative context ........................................................................100 4.3.2 Institutional analysis of community involvement and leadership..........................101 4.3.3 Community involvement and leadership behaviour .............................................106 4.3.4 Outcomes: challenges, effectiveness and legitimacy...........................................107 4.3.5 Conclusions on CULCI.........................................................................................110 4.3.6 Lessons from the social inclusion case................................................................111 4.4 Economic competitiveness: building for business ......................................................112 2 Dutch casestudy report Draft version 2-2-2004 3 4.4.1 Background and initiative context ........................................................................112 4.4.2 Institutional analysis of community involvement and leadership..........................113 4.4.3 Community involvement and leadership behaviour .............................................115 4.4.4 Outcomes: challenges, effectiveness and legitimacy...........................................116 4.4.5 Conclusions on CULCI.........................................................................................118 4.4.6 Lessons from the economic competitiveness case..............................................118 5 Comparative analysis .....................................................................................................120 5.1 Comparing the cities ...................................................................................................120 5.2 Comparing the policy sectors .....................................................................................121 References ..........................................................................................................................123 3 Dutch casestudy report Draft version 2-2-2004 4 1 Introduction To be added 4 Dutch casestudy report Draft version 2-2-2004 5 2 National context Introduction This chapter provides a short introduction to the current system of Dutch local government. The Dutch formal system of local government is uniform. The legal regime for municipalities does neither vary across the country (e.g. per province) nor for urban and non-urban municipalities. Nevertheless there are considerable de facto differences in local politics, citizen involvement and local decision-making between urban and non-urban municipalities. Therefore, whenever appropriate and possible we will also indicate differences between these two types of municipalities. From 1994 to 2002 the Netherlands was governed by two consecutive “PURPLE”-cabinets – a coalition of BLUE: Conservative liberals [VVD], and RED: Labour Party [PvdA]; in combination with a Social Liberal Party [D66]. The first of these “purple” coalitions has initiated a major review of national governments urban policy. The second “purple”-cabinet has decided to continue and invigorate the new approach and has introduced a new cabinet minister for Urban Policy. Moreover, during this cabinet period major decisions were being prepared to revitalise local democracy (new relations between council and executive, alternatives for an appointed mayor, introduction of referendums). The changes were enforced in 2002 with the local election in May. Constitutional position of local government The Netherlands has a written constitution. The basis for our contemporary constitution is still the Constitution of 1848, designed by J.R. Thorbecke. This scholar and prime minister also drafted the Municipal Law (1851), the contours of which still provide the foundations for the current system of local government. The constitution (article 124.1 on municipal autonomous powers) rules that local communities will have powers to regulate and administer their own internal affairs and that these powers shall be delegated to municipal organs (Dölle & Elzinga 1993: 179-181).